Missouri Western Opera Singers Gain National Attention

Missouri Western Opera Singers Gain National Attention

Some Missouri Western opera singers are turning heads across the
country.
Students recently took second place at the National Opera Association's Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition.

Some Missouri Western opera singers are turning heads across the
country.

Students recently took second place at the National Opera Association's
Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition.

This comes after faculty just started an opera program at the university
in 2009.

"We've just started building an opera area. As you've noticed, we have a
strong music theatre now. In 2009, when I came along, I said, 'Hey,
where's the music theatre?'" says MWSU Vocal Studies Director, Dr. Susan
Carter.

As part of an opera workshop at Missouri Western, Sophomore Adrienne
Collins, and Senior Kyle Minx put together a 25 minute scene from
Gian-Carlo Menotti's "The Telephone."

"It's about a girl who can't get off of her phone, and her boyfriend Ben
is trying to propose to her but she is on the phone all the time.
Eventually, he has to call her up over the phone to propose" says
Collins.

Dr. Carter sent a video entry of the performance to the National Opera
Association just to see what could happen.

"I think the walls are still ringing in the music office from when I
looked at my email, because quite frankly, I forgot about it. I dropped
it in the mail, and it went out of my thoughts," Carter says.

Out of 50 entries nationwide, their's was one of five finalists in the
competition's first division.

When planning for the competition in Memphis, TN, Dr. Carter soon
learned the accompanist couldn't make it.

She quickly found another.

Freshman Donovan Jones began rehearsing two weeks before the date of the
competition, and he'd never accompanied opera before.

"It was kind of nerve-wrecking because I was worried the whole time I
was going to get up there and screw them up, and make them lose the
competition or something, but it went well when they got up on stage,"
Jones says.

When the the competition came in January, the Western students brought a
performance that got the crowd's attention.

They won second place.

"It was very exciting. In fact, I mean, there was just so much energy
after that performance. You know, it's like what do you do with
yourself? It was just so wonderful."

Students are proud to show such enormous success coming from Missouri
Western.

"I definitely know as a school, this is a great thing, because we have a
great music program here, but I don't think it's widely known," Minx
says.

After starting the opera program in 2009, Dr. Carter says winning second
nationally is just the boost the program needs to continue growing.